eharri3

I don't get it. I will use mine if I'm sitting on my lawn and I want to let my dog roam about while we're haning out, but that's it. Other than that, they seem to be horrible training tools and poor control devices that have no business being used when walking a dog in public. You're trying to train your dog to walk near you calmly but then giving him the option to roam 15 feet away from you where he's barely paying attention to you? What kind of sense does that make?

So far some of my experiences with these include being on a bike path and watching some little dog walk all the way across the path dragging the leash with it so the owner stood there like an idiot watching runners have to stop and walk around the dog or jump over the leash. Also, was just out walking my dog when what looked like a 60-70 pound Pitt with bad leash manners pulled the retractable all the way out to its limits trying to get at us. All while the idiot owner was busy having a cell phone conversation. Either your dog should be on leash or off. It should be staying close to you or cut loose to roam.

I only ask because we have this new school of dog training out that says the alpha concept is now all wrong. Seems like some of us like to buy wholesale into whatever the newest and greatest thing is. At some point people who developed their own school school of dog training that they wanted to market to the masses made a name for themselves by associating the alpha/pack structure concepts with cruelty and physical pain. They say they found a newer and better way where a dog never has to be corrected for bad behavior. The proponents of 'love, peace, and flower-power' dog training say Ceasar Milan is barbaric and uses cruel methods that he hides from the cameras. Victoria Stillwell, who shows total disdain for the alpha concept, is cited over and over again. Despite the fact that her show, like every other dog training show out there, sets out to teach humans how to make dogs follow their rules and obey their commands. And oh, by the way, Ceasar is known to tackle true problem dogs with genuine aggression problems, the types of animals who will eat a handler for breakfast if he makes wrong move. Victoria Stillwell does an AWESOME job... at teaching people how to potty train their poodles. And to keep the frisky, lovable family Golden Retriever in a down/stay when visitors knock on the door so he doesn't knock grandma down. I wonder how she would handle a dog/aggressive, handler/aggressive 120 pound rotteiler. Somehow the pack structure/alpha concept has come to be made synonymous with animal cruelty. It is now politically incorrect to simply want to be your dog's boss and ask him to submit to you and follow some rules.

People have bought into it and now believe that as reasoning, analytical human beings we can be equal partners with animals that have brains the size of peanuts, who operate purely on instinct.

So I have to ask, if this is truly possible, if we can be equals with our dogs, then what tricks has your dog taught you? What do you do for your dog on command??? What rules does your dog set for you to follow in the house?

Just curious. Feel free to reply, regardless of breed and size. Mine is a Rottweiler/Pittbull mix, about 50 pounds (possibly was a runt since I haven't heard of too many 50 lb Rotts or Pitts. Picture a miniature arnold swarchenegger with fur and a dog head. Her shoulders and haunches are nothing but rippling muscle, almost no fat. One 30-45 minute walk per day might prevent her from going too crazy inside the house each day. Two 45-60 minute walks per day will keep her relatively tame at home. If I do one 2-3 mile decent-paced run she will wander around the house after until the adrenaline wears off thten pretty much become a snoring lump on a lug for the rest of the night. If I couple the run with one more decent-length 45 minute walk and maybe some romp time with a toy then release her back into the house after that she may well feel lazy and not be interested in moving well into the next afternoon.

I'm only 30 and in great shape so I have no problems keeping her stimulated. But I have definitely learned my lesson on the importance of proper breed choice and will be very careful choosing a dog if I still want one when I'm slowing down in life. I was in an obediance class the other day with two very old women. One with a 9 month old German Shepherd, one with a larger Pitbull pup. I'm sure the families thought they were doing grandma a big favor by choosing strong, powerful protective breeds but I can't imagine those are quiet or peaceful houses what with so much pent-up energy in those dogs.